Countdown to installation

Installing the soundboard is the single biggest event in the harpsichord construction process, and it requires a lot of preparation. The soundboard will be glued to the frame with hide glue and held in place on the go-bar deck with about 50 go-bars, which will provide tremendous vertical pressure. To keep the whole thing from collapsing, I prop up all the internal surfaces with wooden blocks of various sizes and shapes, as shown below:




When the installation happens, glue will be slopping everywhere, so I tape off all the surfaces which will come into contact with the glue. I've also built a set of cauls which will go between the delicate soundboard wood and the go-bars.




Installing a soundboard is a bit like launching the space shuttle; you plan it weeks in advance, then watch the weather anxiously as the big day approaches. If it's too cold or wet, you have to scuttle the launch and wait for a drier day.